Market Information

The Visitor and the Environment

The environment is Scotland's key tourism asset. We know that over 80% of visitors to Scotland rate the environment as the feature they like the most. However, 'the environment' means much more than scenery.

Some key statistics:

In a recent Tourist Board visitor survey, three out of the top five attributes which visitors associated with Scotland before their trip were environment focussed (scenery, nature and wildlife, wilderness) ( System 3, 2002 )

Birdwatching is the fastest growing outdoor pastime in the world with over two million birdwatchers in the UK alone (MORI poll for ABTA 2000)

UK visitors visiting Scotland to watch wildlife spend £40m a year, the third highest outdoor activity after walking and golf. (UKTS 2001)

93% of visitors stated that Scotland would appeal to ‘those interested in nature and wildlife’ (Visitor Attitude Survey, VisitScotland 2001)

80% of British travellers polled are prepared to pay £30-£70 extra per fortnight to book a hotel with a responsible environmental attitude, showing that cost may no longer inhibit sustainable tourism ideals ( IHEI, 2002 ).

61% of travellers thought that it was important that companies they dealt with took environmental issues into account. this trend is increasing (MORI, 1997).

For the most current statistics, visit  Research News

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